A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms continues its winning streak with the season's fourth episode, "Seven." The series' newest outing currently sits at a 9.7/10 star rating on IMDb, making it one of the highest rated episodes throughout all three Westeros set shows, including Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.
"Seven" follows the aftermath of Ser Duncan the Tall, aka Dunk's (Peter Claffey) confrontation with Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) at the end of the previous episode, "The Squire." Although Dunk defended an innocent, in this case the sweet puppeteer Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford), he is still charged with attacking the crown prince. When Dunk requests a trial by combat to prove his innocence, Aerion raises the stakes by demanding the seldom invoked trial of seven, an ancient tradition which requires both the accuser and defendant to fight with teams of seven knights. Most of the rest of the episode follows Dunk putting together his dream team, and although he can only find four other knights to fight by his side, he receives two last minute additions, in the form of a newly knighted Ser Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas) and the heir to the Iron Throne, Prince Baelor Targaryen, (Bertie Carvel), bringing his total to seven.
While Game of Thrones brings up trials by combat regularly, including Tyrion's (Peter Dinklage) trial in the Eyrie in which Bronn (Jerome Flynn) first comes to his rescue, and the infamous duel between Prince Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) and Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane (Hafthor Julius Bjornsson), the original series based on the works of George R.R. Martin never brings up a trial of seven. As such, "Seven" and the following episode will mark a first for HBO's Westeros shows.
Hints of a trial of seven in A Song of Ice and Fire
While the source material for Game of Thrones, Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books, has yet to feature a trial of seven, many fans suspect one may be in the works for the series. Specifcally, some readers believe that a trial of seven has been hinted at since the fourth novel in the franchise, A Feast for Crows.
A Feast for Crows spends many chapters focusing on the rise and fall of Queen Cersei Lannister. After the death of King Joffrey Baratheon in the previous novel, A Storm of Swords, Cersei's younger son, Tommen, ascends the throne, replacing his older brother as king. In the books, Tommen is depicted as a young boy, meaning Cersei, as Queen Regent, becomes the most powerful person in the Seven Kingdoms.
However, Cersei becomes hoisted by her own petard when she enlists the aid of the Faith of the Seven, expecting her newly appointed high septon, a man known as the High Sparrow, to act as her loyal servant. Instead, the High Sparrow acts purely in service of the Seven new gods, and upon discovering Cersei's sin, including her schemes to take down her daughter-in-law, Queen Margaery Tyrell and her sexual relationship with several men, including Knight of the Kingsguard Ser Osney Kettleback, Cersei is imprisoned by the faith.
Since her arrest, Cersei has been in the dungeons awaiting her trial. In her most recently published chapter, which features in the fifth book in A Song of Ice and Fire, A Dance with Dragons, Cersei is forced to partake in a "walk of atonement," where she is stripped naked and paraded throughout the streets of King's Landing.
That chapter ends with Cersei meeting the newest knight of the Kingsguard, "Ser Robert Strong," who is most likely a reanimated Gregor Clegane. With the Mountain back in the picture, it is expected that Cersei will invoke a trial by combat, as Ser Gregor/Ser Robert can fight for her. However, many fans suspect that Cersei will instead utilize a trial by seven.
Given that a trial by combat to prove a Lannister's innocence in King's Landing previously featured as a major plot point back in A Storm of Swords, a trial of seven would change things up from the series' previous beats. Additionally, the High Sparrow's fascination with the number seven has been a key aspect of the character in the books, so it would make for a poetic climax if that number proves to be his downfall and Cersei's salvation going forward. Finally, given how many crimes Cersei has been accused of, and how many accusers have come forward against her, a trial featuring multiple champions seems more fitting than just one.
While there's no way of knowing if the forthcoming sixth novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, The Winds of Winter, will actually feature a trial of seven or not, it would make for an epic conclusion to Cersei's long-running storyline. Meanwhile, Game of Thrones never once invoked a trial of seven, so seeing the concept come to life in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will feel like a breath of fresh air for the franchise.
For more from the world of Westeros, make sure to tune into A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which airs new episodes Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ET on HBO Max.